Karen Armstrong writes very well. Her Jerusalem One City, Three Faiths trace the history of Jerusalem through its early Jewish rulers and then its Christian inhabitants under Roman rule, then under Muslim rulers and finally as a city in the state of Israel. The book was written in 1996 and ends with the assessment that the prospect of peace looks bleak. This has not changed in 2011. The Ballantine 2005 edition carries a wonderful interview with Armstrong.
There are two other outstanding books on Jerusalem. They are Jerusalem by F. E. Peters 712 pages Princeton Univ Pr (October 30, 1995) and Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore 688 pages Knopf (October 25, 2011). FE Peters’ book contains useful commentary as well as selections of eyewitness accounts from pilgrims and travellers to Jerusalem, and quotations from the Bible. Montefiore’s book is the latest and it has a gripping historical narrative of the rulers who ruled Jerusalem as well as the politicians, saints, and travellers associated with Jerusalem.